Rise in 'treat yourself jewellery' among women

It was once a gift women hoped to receive from her partner as romantic gesture or to mark a special occasion.

But according to high street jeweller Beaverbrooks, more women are breaking tradition by treating them themselves to expensive jewellery.

The proportion of rings, watches, bracelets and necklaces sold to women buying for themselves has soared from around 5 per cent ten years ago to 40 per cent, according to the family businesses' chairman, Mark Adlestone.

Mr Adlestone puts the rise down to a higher percentage of mothers returning to work after having children and feeling they deserve to treat themselves. Another common occasion women are buying themselves jewellery for is a promotion or new job, he said.

The figures exclude engagement and wedding rings, which are usually bought by men or by couples choosing together.

Meghan Markle was an early adopter of the self-purchase trend in 2015 when she bought herself a £5,000 pink gold and steel Cartier watch, engraving on the back of the time piece "To M.M. From M.M."

"I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch," Ms Markle told Hello! magazine at the time. "When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version."

It comes as Beaverbrooks has just celebrated  its 100th anniversary by launching a new "super sparkly" range of diamonds, which has 100 facets instead of 57 in standard cut gems. The Beyond Brilliance range is around 10 per cent more expensive than standard diamonds.

Lorna Haddon, head of diamonds and jewellery at Beaverbrooks, said: “So much love and meticulous attention has gone into curating this beautiful collection, from the diamond selection through to designing the individual styles.

"100 years is a significant milestone and so we needed a collection to commemorate this – and we couldn’t be prouder of our world first ‘Beyond Brilliance’ range."